Archive for month: April, 2016

Seafood is Alaska is like lifeblood. With fresh seafood being a hot commodity in the state, the start of a new fishing season is certainly cause for excitement. This month, halibut is back in the waters and ready for the catch. There are plenty of great spots where you can take your Alaska car rentals for halibut fishing, but first you’ll need to know a bit about fishing in the state.

Fishing anywhere has unique challenges and locales that only the locals or frequent visitors really know. Unless you’ve been halibut fishing in Alaska many times before, it’s unlikely you’ll know the ins and outs of the fishing culture in the region. Below we’ve listed a few things you may need to know before you set off on a fishing adventure in your Alaska car rentals.

If you’re not much of a fisher, you won’t have to miss out on the fresh catch. Halibut will be back in the markets, ready for the grill. Rockfish and cod are also back in the waters and in the market for your dinner table. Cod and rockfish may be back in the market sooner than halibut as fishers from Kodiak return with their load.

Don’t wait around for fresh salmon. Hopefully you loaded up before the salmon season ended and packed up the freezer so you can appease your salmon cravings even in the spring months.

Homer, Alaska

If you’re really interested in engaging in some superb halibut fishing then head on up to Homer, Alaska. This is the “Halibut Fishing Capital of the World” with charter services available to take you out on your halibut fishing expedition.

Every year, Homer is home to a halibut fishing derby. The derby runs from mid-May until mid-September but you’ll have to make sure you buy tickets so you can enter. Remember if you don’t have a ticket, you cannot enter for a chance to win – you don’t want to be faced with the disappointment that comes from a good catch without being able to offer it up for competition in the derby.

Each tagged fish that you catch is worth $50 and any fish caught from the 2015 derby this year will be worth $100. You will also have an opportunity to catch the GCI worth $50,000 and the Stanley Ford F-150 tagged halibut. This year, 130 fish have been tagged in the water as part of the derby which offers you pretty decent odds at catching at least one fish. So pack up the Alaska car rentals for your chance at a prize in the Homer Halibut Derby!

Halibut fishing tips

The first thing you need to know is that there’s a two fish limit per person in Homer. You also need to make sure you have a proper license for Alaska.

Good equipment for halibut fishing is the circle hook, rather than the treble hook or j-hook. This is a cheaper hook that won’t be a big loss when you have to cut the hook free from the mouth of your catch. You may add on red or white hoochies, beads, and skirts in order to attract halibut. If you’re looking for a really good one, use a skirt that glows in the water to draw halibut in.

We would recommend avoiding bait scent canisters for your fishing trip. As much as these can be effective at times, they also tend to leave an unfortunate odor in the surrounding area. We personally don’t like when clients of our Alaska car rentals are using these scent canisters as they can leave a malodorous atmosphere in the vehicle that other renters will have to deal with.

We’d recommend bait injectors instead. These little needles allow you to insert the scent into your bait, beats, skirts, and other equipment. These are more effective than scent canisters and won’t leave a scent in the Alaska car rentals.

You’re ready for a great fishing trip! Now all you need is a great Alaska car rentals from Avis.

It’s easy to think that we have already discovered all that there is to discover in the natural world, but it’s just not true. This month, researchers have uncovered a new butterfly species in Interior Alaska. It’s the first one to have been discovered in Alaska in almost 30 years. Take your Alaska car rentals through the interior of Alaska to try to catch a glimpse of the state’s newest butterfly.

The butterfly is a hybrid species that was created before the last ice age. It is called the Tanana Arctic, and it appears as though this species is specific to this region, which means your only opportunity to see it is when you’re traveling in your Alaska car rentals.

What does the Tanana Arctic look like?

The Tanana Arctic is a bronze-brown color, with shite specks and veins on its underside. It looks almost as if snow has dusted the base of the butterfly with waves of white and dark brown.

Where can you find the butterfly?

The butterfly may have been found in ancient Alaska’s strip of land known as Beringia. Currently the butterfly can be found in the forests around Tanana-Yukon River Basin. Spruce and aspen trees are the homes of these butterflies, and if you take your Alaska car rentals around the basin you may have an opportunity to see one these butterflies.

These butterflies love the cold temperatures, and need to stay in an area where they can stay cool. This area was a prime place for many species to live during the most recent Ice Age. It remained free of ice during the Ice Age and butterflies could survive in the cold without being frozen.

A hybrid of the two

The Tanana Artic butterfly is likely a hybrid of the Chryxus Artic and the White-veined Artic. In fact, the butterfly remains very similar in appearance to the Chryxus Artic. This is part of the reason that the Tanana Artic had not been uncovered previously, despite being around since the last ice age.

How will this tell us about global warming?

These butterflies may be able to act as strong indicators of global warming. Having survived since the last ice age, their resilience is evident and death of the butterflies could indicate a dramatic shift in the environment. A more significant indicator of climate change will be if the butterflies begin to migrate out of the area. As we are already aware that the permafrost is melting, if the climate continues to worsen the Tanana Arctic will eventually begin to migrate to find climates more suitable to them.

The Tanana was hiding

Oddly enough, the Tanana Arctic was on display in the museums as soon as 1955, and went undetected. Its similarity to the Chryxus Arctic allowed it to hide right beneath the careful gaze of the scientists and researchers.

The butterfly species of Alaska

This butterfly species may be unique to the region, but it certainly isn’t the only butterfly in the region. In fact, there are roughly 75-80 butterfly species in the state. If you drive around in your Alaska car rentals, you’re sure to see at least one of them. In fact, there are as many as 40 different species in Anchorage alone.

Alaskan butterflies live for as long as (or even longer than!) a year in the state because of the cold. In fact, the butterflies can even use the winter months as their growth period in the chrysalis form.

Take advantage sight seeing the myriad incredible species across the state when you reserve your Alaska car rentals from Avis.

April is a bit of an odd time in Alaska and for those with Alaska car rentals. It’s not quite spring yet, but the snow is certainly starting to melt. In what is know as the “break up” of ice, you’ll find that more and more lakes are beginning to melt. But be aware – you will still discover huge mounds of snow next to the road as you drive your Alaska car rentals around the state.

Because this month is such an odd period of weather for Alaska, we’ve provided you with tips and trips you can take to survive the transition.

Don’t expect tours

At this time of year, you’ll be hard pressed to find many guided tours and day trips around the state. Many tour guide companies close up shop until summer, and don’t reopen until May. That said, you may still be able to find some tours that were open specifically for winter and that haven’t closed yet for the transitional time between the seasons.

For instance, the Turnagain Turnaround Arm Tour from Anchorage runs until April 15 before reopening for the summer season on May 20. If you’re visiting before April 15, we would recommend this tour as a great way to experience a scenic winter drive without having the personal stress of being the driver.

Don’t bank on winter sports

With some snow left, some tourists believe that winter sports are still an option. Unfortunately, you may find when you set out that there isn’t quite enough snow to make your snow-shoeing journey an enjoyable one.

Prepare for both seasons

Especially if you’re an outdoorsy sort, it’s important to prep your Alaska car rentals with the appropriate clothing and equipment for both winter and spring. Don’t remove the winter emergency kit yet – temperatures can still drop quite low at night and you’ll need to be able to stay warm in case of emergency.

If you’re going hiking make sure to pack the appropriate winter-weather shoes with a good tread on the bottom. Keep a few extra sweaters around, also, just in case the temperature decides to play a little trick on you and dip rather than rise through the month.

Fishing has begun

Winter activities like ice fishing and skiing definitely are not the only outdoor entertainment. Now that spring has arrived, fishing has started up again – and this time you don’t have to sit in a warmed hut in order to fish. Around now, you’ll be able to start fishing for halibut and cod.

However, it’s important that you stay off the ice for your fishing trip. Some fisherman attempt to get in a few last ice fishing trips before spring fully sets in without thinking of the danger a slowly thawing ice poses to their safety. In reality, just because the ice looks thick, doesn’t mean it is. These fishermen in Russia got a first hand experience of breaking sheet ice, and it almost cost them their lives.

Avoid overconfidence in your Alaska car rentals

This tip is one that is important whether you’re in Alaska or Oklahoma. It’s easy to become an overconfident driver with the changing season. However, you must remain vigilant in your Alaska car rentals. The winter season hasn’t quite faded, and there will still be slippery sections of the road that must be accounted for.

Continue to leave a respectable amount of distance behind the drivers in front of you, and take sharp turns with caution. Be particularly careful if driving along mountain roads or areas that don’t get as much maintenance. Overall, use your best judgment but try to drive as if winter were still here.

April may not be a popular time to visit Alaska, but we think this state is great all year long. Reserve your Alaska car rentals from Avis and we’ll help to make sure your trip is a thrilling adventure no matter the month!